The Best Chocolate Cake Ever

Every Friday I go up to Hudson, NY where I bake desserts at my friend’s restaurant, Grazin’—recently voted best burgers in Columbia County. Every Friday, I bake this cake, and everyone goes bonkers for it. You know what else I do most Fridays? I come home and make it for me and the girls, too (perhaps sleep deprivation explains the smudgy frosting on this cake plate above). It sounds crazy, having spent a better part of the day baking for work, only to come home and do it again, but there’s a good reason. This is seriously the best chocolate cake ever.

That’s a hefty proclamation, and I’m not one to say that unless I truly believe it. I know a lot about chocolate cakes—the good and the bad ones. I ate my way through many of them while pregnant with Isabella 14 years ago (that might also explain why she loves this cake so much). 

A smaller version of the Devil’s Food Cake I created for Mikey’s 50th birthday back in 2000, this cake packs a perfect balance of sweet enough without being too sweet. Chocolatey but not too chocolatey (if there were such a thing). The addition of coffee might seem a surprise, but it’s there to enhance and boost the flavor of the chocolate. I swear you won’t taste a bit of coffee in the final cake.

And the frosting. Oh my, where do I even begin? The best chocolate cake ever deserves the best fudge frosting ever, and this one delivers 110%. The base is a rich chocolate ganache, a chameleon of sorts. When first made, the ganache is thin. You’ll wonder if I’ve led you astray. As it cools, though, the ganache gradually thickens. Get it at the perfect moment, and it’s a fudgy, spreadable consistency, making it the most perfect chocolate fudge frosting.

For a cake this size, you only need a 1/2 batch of this recipe. Since the frosting does take some time to set up in the fridge, be sure to plan accordingly. My suggestion is to get it started as soon as you pop the cakes in the oven, so it’ll be ready to use once the cakes are thoroughly cooled.

We tend to eat this cake in smaller slices. It’s so rich, a smallish wedge is just enough, making it the perfect size cake for eight people. If you want a heftier slice, then plan on it serving six.

This recipe is now available to paid subscribers on my site, Simmering.  Join thousands of other subscribers now for only $5/month or $30/year (that’s six months free!). Use this link for a special 15% discount on annual subscriptions for being a loyal reader of In Jennie’s Kitchen (that’s only $25.50/year!).

 

SaveSave